A review by careinthelibrary
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich

5.0

I have chills. This is one of my all time favourite Erdrich books and certainly up there with the best books I've ever read. Despite a bit of a slow start, this is undeniably a five star read. It takes its time to reach the moments of thrilling excitement and dread and it makes those moments all the more powerful and effective. This was one of her more tragic, chilling reads but is also full of the warmth of family and love. Many layers of different characters, timelines, and families. This is a story about selfhood deepening, awareness expanding, forgiveness and healing. Characters that are fan favourites from other books appear (AKA my favourites) and their faces are a pleasure to see once again. This enriches the world Erdrich creates in her novels, but also stays true to the atmosphere she has previously presented. I think this might be the best example of the heart-wrenching abilities of the author. This book moved me to tears more than once and I felt it affecting my mood, making me quiet and full of sighs after reading certain passages. It is dark and full of sadness, death, and grief. Yet it is a treat to read anything by Erdrich and I will cherish this story.

"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could."